American Classic (TV series)
American television series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American Classic is an American comedy television series from creators Michael Hoffman and Bob Martin. It premiered on March 1, 2026, on MGM+. It stars Kevin Kline, Jon Tenney and Laura Linney.
| American Classic | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by | Michael Hoffman Bob Martin |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Tom Howe |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Sean Fogel |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | MGM+ |
| Release | March 1, 2026 – present |
Premise
A narcissistic Broadway star returns to his hometown after a public meltdown and decides to save his family-run theater by directing and starring in a production of a great American classic.[1]
Cast
Main
- Kevin Kline as Richard Bean
- Jon Tenney as Jon Bean
- Laura Linney as Kristen Forrest Bean
Recurring
- Jane Alexander as Ethel Bean
- Jessica Hecht as Polly
- Len Cariou as Linus Bean
- Nell Verlaque as Miranda Bean
- Billy Carter as Connor Boyle
- Elise Kibler as Nadia Romanova
- Ajay Friese as Randall Potts
- Aaron Tveit as Troy
- Stephen Spinella as Xander
- Sean 'Dino' Johnson as Clarence / Joe Crowell
- Johnny McKeown as Hugo Booth
- Philip Johnson Richardson as Heath McCardle
- Billy Eugene Jones as Mr. Pat Paterson
- Andrea Jones-Sojola as Mrs. Pat Paterson
- Yaegal T. Welch as Dr. Derek Seale
- Joseph Morales as Jeff Jeffries
- Matt McGrath as Kenny Klaus
- Sarah Gabriel as Marney
- Terry Walters as Tina / Mrs. Gibbs
- Nadeem Bacchus as Landscaper
- Tony Shalhoub as Alvy
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Michael Hoffman | Michael Hoffman and Bob Martin | March 1, 2026 | N/A |
| 2 | "Swan Song" | Michael Hoffman | Michael Hoffman and Bob Martin | March 1, 2026 | N/A |
| 3 | "Juniper Berries" | Tricia Brock | Michael Hoffman and Bob Martin | March 8, 2026 | N/A |
| 4 | "Big Spender" | Tricia Brock | Michael Hoffman and Bob Martin | March 15, 2026 | N/A |
| 5 | "Schicklgruber" | Michael Hoffman | Michael Hoffman and Bob Martin | March 22, 2026 | N/A |
| 6 | "Real Rain" | Michael Hoffman | Ellen Fairey | March 29, 2026 | N/A |
| 7 | "Camelot" | Michael Hoffman | Ellen Fairey | April 5, 2026 | N/A |
| 8 | "Our Town" | Michael Hoffman | Michael Hoffman and Bob Martin | April 12, 2026 | N/A |
Production
Development
In January 2025, MGM+ gave an eight-episode series order to American Classic, a half-hour comedy starring and executive produced by Oscar winner Kevin Kline and created by Michael Hoffman and Bob Martin. The series has been in the works at MGM+ for more than three years, and was announced as part of the development slate of the platform in February 2022. Following that, Fifth Season came on board as studio, with Mar-Key Pictures, Likely Story and Anonymous Content producing. Writers Hoffman and Martin as well as Ellen Fairey are executive producers alongside Kline, Leslie Urdang, Anthony Bregman, and Miriam Mintz, David Levine and Garrett Kemble for Anonymous Content, with Hoffman directing the pilot episode.[2]
Casting
The cast, led by Kline, also contained Jon Tenney and Laura Linney, and included Harris Yulin, Jane Alexander, Jessica Hecht, Len Cariou, Billy Carter, Nell Verlaque, Ajay Friese and Elise Kibler. Principal photography was scheduled for New Jersey in the summer of 2025.[3] Filming had begun in June 2025 when Yulin died from a cardiac arrest prior to the commencement of his scenes.[4] Director Hoffman said in a statement "All of us at American Classic have been blessed by our experience with him. He will always remain the beating heart of our show.”[5] In July, Yulin's character was recast by Len Cariou, and was joined with additional cast in recurring roles.[6] The casting of Tony Shalhoub, Aaron Tveit and Stephen Spinella were revealed in January 2026.[7]
Release
The series premiered on March 1, 2026, with the first two episodes, followed by a weekly release leading into the season finale on April 12.[7]
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 94% approval rating based on 16 critic reviews.[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 70 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[9]
